Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Elevation: 14,410'

Our Four Day Summit Climb teams reached the top of Mt. Rainier early today, by the light of the blue moon. The guides reported good weather, the winds were decreasing, and it was cold! This summit climb marked RMI Guide Brent Okita's 450th summit of Mt. Rainier! Congratulations on your remarkable milestone! We would also like to congratulate RMI clients Alex and Julie. News from the summit this morning that Alex proposed to Julie and she accepted! A special day on Mt. Rainier!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Greetings from Upstate NY. Dixon and Kevin, glad you reached the summit in one piece and hope you enjoyed.

Posted by: Dave Miller on 9/4/2012 at 11:10 am

Hi to all of you,

Congrats to all of you on a great climb to the top. A special congrats to Alex and Julie; how romantic to have a proposal at the summit during the Blue Moon. Have a safe climb down the mountain.

Love & hugs,
Lee and Ilona

Posted by: LEE & ILONA on 9/1/2012 at 4:56 pm

Mt. Elbrus: The Northside Team Preparing for Summit Bid

September 1, 2012

Posted by: JJ Justman, Seth Waterfall

Elevation: 15,300'

Hello everyone, this is J.J. Justman with the Mt. Elbrus Northside team. We are happily at high camp, getting our tents up. Seth and I have our kitchen set up and we're making water and hots for the team. It is is a beautiful day! Again, guides are a little superstitious bunch so I'm gonna knock on wood, and cross my fingers and toes, but we just have a marvelous day moving up here to high camp at 15,300'. We're just gonna settle in, relax, make a bunch of hots, some soup, a little bit of dinner, drink a little more water and then we're gonna get ready for a summit attempt tomorrow. So wish us luck, wish us good weather here on Mount Elbrus for tomorrow and hopefully will be calling you from the top with some good news. Thanks for following along and we will talk with you again soon, bye. RMI Guide JJ Justman

RMI Guide JJ Justman checks in from Mt. Elbrus high camp.

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: August 31st Summit!

August 31, 2012

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Solveig Waterfall

Elevation: 14,410'

Our Mt. Rainier Summit Climb led by Billy Nugent and Solveig Waterfall reached the crater rim at 6:59 a.m. this morning. The teams reported clear and windy skies and very cold temperatures. Billy and Solveig radioed at 8:15 a.m. that both teams started their descent back to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

the only time oil and water mix well is when shaken violently… me and my brother from another mother are just too stupid to quit!!!!ha ha ha

Posted by: brad rearden on 9/4/2012 at 7:24 pm

Mark, that is just outstanding!

Posted by: keshma saujani on 9/2/2012 at 1:37 pm

Mt. Elbrus: The Northside Team Carry Supplies to High Camp

August 31, 2012

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, JJ Justman

Elevation: 12m,300'

Hi there this is Seth checking in for the Mt. Elbrus Northside Expedition. Our friend the wind finally gave us a break today! At around 2 am the big gusts died off and by sunup everything was calm. Everyone was stoked to get up and finally get on the glacier. By 9:00 we were cramponed up and climbing. The route was great and JJ set a nice pace. We made it to our high camp in 4.5 hours. We dropped off some food, fuel and a little gear there and then boogied back down to Camp 1. If the weather allows we will move up to high camp tomorrow! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

Mt. Elbrus: Team Waiting Out the Wind

August 30, 2012

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, JJ Justman

Elevation: 12,500'

What to do when the wind is blowing 70 mph at Camp 1 on Mt. Elbrus? That is the question. And the answer is tough filled with so many choices. Read my book? Nope, forgot it at base camp. Read Seth's Harper magazine? Done. Drink hot drinks? Check! The team was productive today at Camp 1. We secured our tents for the heavy winds and during a lull we went down and retrieved our cache at 11,500 feet. We now are sitting on a stockpile of food and fuel so Bring it On wind! Everyone is feeling great at 12,500 feet. And a little adversity does a body good. I just hope my iTunes movie hasn't expired on my iPhone! RMI Guide J.J. Justman

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: August 30th Summit!

August 30, 2012

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Geoff Schellens

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Geoff Schellens led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The Four Day Summit Climb August 27 - 30 teams reported clear skies and chilly temperatures with winds blowing 15-20 mph. The team were approaching the crater rim at 7:30 a.m. After spending some time on top they will descend to Camp Muir to repack and rest a bit before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon. We look forward to seeing the teams back in Ashford this afternoon. Congratulations to today's summit climbers!

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Brian way to go I am so proud of you way to go cannot wait to see the pictures

Posted by: Wanda Manderson on 8/30/2012 at 7:11 pm

Way to go, Brian! Can’t wait to see the pix and hear all about it!!

Posted by: Aunt Denise on 8/30/2012 at 4:11 pm

Mt. Rainier: August 29th Summit!

August 29, 2012

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike Walter

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb Teams August 26 - 29 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Mike Walter. Dave Hahn reported clear skies above and light winds with a cloud deck below at 9,000'. The teams were walking into the crater at 8:15 a.m. and will spend some time on top before starting their descent to Camp Muir and continuing to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today. Congratulations to today's teams!

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Way to go Adrian and your team!!!

Posted by: Rick H. on 8/31/2012 at 10:36 pm

Brian if this is your team I hope you make it to the top of the mountain safely you are in my prayers.

Posted by: Wanda Manderson on 8/29/2012 at 7:08 pm

Mt. Elbrus: Team Moves to Camp One

August 29, 2012

Posted by: JJ Justman, Seth Waterfall

Elevation: 12,300'

Hello from Mt. Elbrus, It wouldn't be an expedition without a little bad weather. Today we awoke to rain and thunder showers. However, it wasn't really that bad so we packed our bags and hit the road for Camp One. The team did great carrying heavy packs that only got heavier with all the rain. We made it into camp mid afternoon, got our camp set up and just finished a hot gourmet meal by yours truly. Tomorrow we are going to wake up late, enjoy some Starbucks coffee at 12,500 feet and then head down to 11,500 feet to grab the rest of our gear. We hope everyone is enjoying our blog. Take care and we will touch base again soon. RMI Guide J.J. Justman

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

So fun to be able to follow you and your fellow travelers on this blog, Matt. Appreciate the updates and photos. I sent the CBS interview website to Gr. Aunt Reet in NJ….she loved it! Also sent to Mathis family in K.C. Sending prayers for good weather and safe footing!

Posted by: Rita Redfern Morrett on 8/29/2012 at 10:59 pm

If this is Ryan Eddy’s team….God speed and have fun!

Posted by: Ryan Santos on 8/29/2012 at 1:48 pm

Mt. Elbrus: Team Carries Gear Above Base Camp

August 28, 2012

Posted by: JJ Justman, Seth Waterfall

Elevation: 8,500'

Hi everyone, This is the Mt. Elbrus North-side Expedition checking in from our Base Camp. Today we carried a big chunk of our gear up to about 11,500' before returning to 8,500'. The summit was socked in today but the lower slopes had mostly sunny skies which was perfect for us. Our group is 100% healthy and strong and everyone is having fun. We're going to spend the afternoon relaxing and prepping for our move up to Camp 1 tomorrow. RMI Guide J.J. Justman

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

What an exciting adventure! Love the awesome photos of the climbing teams’ smiling faces and beautiful scenery:-) Have a great trek up and down Mt. Elbrus Ryan and see you soon.

Posted by: Cheryl Kirwan on 8/29/2012 at 9:01 am

Dave, taught the Crafton Academy yesterday and met your son, I’ll keep an eye on him for you.

Stay safe,
Frank

Posted by: Frank de Boer on 8/29/2012 at 7:02 am

Mt. Rainier: August 28th Update

August 28, 2012

Posted by: Jake Beren, Pete Van Deventer

Elevation: 10,600'

The Four Day Summit climb August 25 - 28 led by RMI Guide Jake Beren and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by Pete Van Deventer were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier today due to high winds. The teams waited at Camp Muir for a break in the weather and eventually started out on their summit attempt. Consistent high winds with gusts up to 60 mph turned the teams around at Cathedral Gap. The teams will start their descent from Camp Muir at approximately 8:30 am. The Expeditions Skills Seminar will continue their training at Rainier BaseCamp before concluding their week long adventure later this afternoon. We look forward to seeing the teams at BaseCamp this afternoon.

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I’ve been to Mordor (Tolkein modeled Mordor from Bloemfontein, South Africa, apparently), and this was worse.

Posted by: Suman on 9/13/2012 at 5:55 pm

The Camp Muir telemetry shows gusts to 80mph, but who is measuring wind speed when you are staring into the depths of Mordor! Speaks volumes about the leadership and confidence inspired by the guides. Great experience all around.

Posted by: Pete on 8/30/2012 at 12:20 pm